One of the most noticeable topics on the first day of UN Foundation’s Social Good Summit turned out to be the role of digital technologies and social media outlets in human rights advocacy, as well as human rights violations. This issue touched on the future of the news coverage, and was discussed by Bryn Mooser, David Darg, Ian Somerhalder, and Pete Cashmore, as well as Samantha Power, the US Ambassador to the UN. The team of observers of the rapidly approaching future remarked that the youth is no longer satisfied by the passive consumption of the news reports, the way the previous generations were, but wants to be an active participants, if not to say co-creators, of the stories. Citizen journalism, most recently, complements, if not yet replaces completely the traditional mainstream media. The efforts of the volunteers in Libya were mentioned as one of the most noteworthy examples of innovations in journalism. In the midst of what appeared to be complete chaos, they used social media for keeping the humanitarian workers informed. Dan Frankowski added that the use of social media networks for distribution of the on-going and developing stories allows people of all skills and temperaments to put their talents to good use.

He personally, for instance, does not like live interaction, and community organizing does not appeal to him either. However, as a software engineer, he can participate in all the events through social media. Another positive aspect of citizen journalism is the democratization of journalism. Any activist can now reach a hot spot and put forward multiple perspectives where previously the audience would be limited to the views of a few professional pass-holders. Moreover, amateur reporters can reach places, where not even every professional reporter can break through. Thus, citizen journalists can expose significant human rights violations and covertly procure images or other evidence, which regular journalists would not normally be able to photograph or film. On the other hand, and this was not covered by today’s panel, there is an erasing of professional ethics and veracity/accuracy. The democratization of journalism allows a much greater quantity of information to see the light of day and reach public consumption; however, such information should be viewed critically and corroborated by other sources.

Reporting eyewitnesses have their limitations. Many complain that MSM creates an illusion of objectivity; however, when a reporter allows himself to be led by emotions and personal biases, the story may turn out to be completely inaccurate. Unfortunately, social media also has a much more deplorable usage. Tyrants and dictators, wishing to corner dissidents, human rights activists, and political opponents, now have many more opportunities to stalk their victims. Governments, determined to crack down on civil liberties, reported Ambassador Power, now share “worst practices”, and continue finding new ways of spying on dissidents, which they are all too happy to pass on to other authoritarian regimes. In the last year, over 40 laws limiting civil liberties, were passed, including some even democratic countries. A Syrian female journalist and a Cuban dissident paid with their lives for their criticism of their governments, while investigations into their deaths had been stopped. Power noted that both she and the current U.S. administration are pressuring countries, which are getting rid of their dissidents and execute or torture human rights activists. However, t here is not a single human rights activist that comes to mind, who has been freed due to pressure from the U.S. government. Thus far, not one investigation has been reopened. No apologies for wrongful deaths or tortures have ever been issued. Critics of the government, defenders of civil liberties, and their supporters remain imprisoned in Russia, China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and other countries, and some of them may well expect to meet a rather sorry end. Some have used social media to spread their pro-reform views, and have been caught in those very same nets. Samantha Power added that although at this moment, the “bad guys” are clearly winning, history shows that at the end, dissidents win, and everyone can expect a “happy ending”. However, I will allow myself to respectfully disagree with the esteemed Ambassador. Dissidents have won only in those cases, when they enjoyed an unequivocal and broad external support from the liberal democratic Western states. Let’s just remember the Soviet Union and its “satellites”. On the other hand, in countries, where no such support has been observed, such as China or Saudi Arabia, dissidents continue spending time in prisons without any hope of early release and restitution, and in some cases, pay with their skin to the sound of the State Department’s sighs, polite aheming, and endless equivocation.